Machine, reeling or trailing cables are typically used to provide an electrical connection for mobile electrical machines. For example, in the mining or petroleum industry often large electrical machinery is used and each machine, reeling or trailing cable may have to provide power in the order of a few hundred kilowatts. Typically such power is delivered with a voltage of one or more kilovolts. The cables used to deliver the electricity are usually formed from a plurality of bunches which are connected using electrical connection devices including sockets and pins.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional representation of a typical prior art electrical connection device 10. The device 10 comprises a housing 12 in which a socket 14 and a pin 16 engage. The socket 14 is metallic and includes six fingers 18 and a compression spring 19 is arranged to press the fingers 18 and/or tips of the fingers against the pin 16 to establish an electrical connection. However, the compression spring 19 may loose tension over time, in particular when the electrical connection device is exposed to a heat source or when large currents flow though the device which may result in heat development.